JP2002142167A - Television receiver, television broadcasting/reception method, and record medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a channel call without complicating a circuit, and without increasing costs. SOLUTION: An image is reduced, at the same time, a frame for display is generated, the reduced image and display frame are synthesized, the channel call is displayed in the display frame, and various information such as the channel call can be displayed without adding any large hardware, and without damaging the original image, thus simply achieving a system that can display the image reflecting the channel operation carried out by a user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a television receiver, a television broadcast receiving method, and a storage medium, and more particularly, to a system capable of displaying an image reflecting a channel operation performed by a user. It is suitable for use in a television receiver configured as described above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a television broadcast, when a channel switching operation is performed by a remote controller or the like, a channel call for switching an image and notifying a user of a switched channel number is performed.

As a method of the channel call, a method of superimposing a channel call on a screen on which an image is displayed on an on-screen display, or a method of providing a channel call dedicated display device to display the channel call is used. . As a result, the user can confirm the content of the operation he or she has performed without greatly removing the line of sight from the program being watched.

By the way, in the case of channel switching when receiving a digital broadcast from a broadcasting satellite or the like, several seconds are required for channel switching due to processing such as transmission speed and MPEG decoding.

[0005] This is pointed out in "Video signal decoding apparatus" of JP-A-08-237610 and "Digital broadcasting television receiver" of JP-A-09-135394. For this reason, a time lag occurs between the user operation and the screen switching, giving uncomfortable feeling to the operation of the user,
There was a problem that an operation error was easily caused.

In order to solve this problem, (A)
No. 237610 discloses a method of instantaneously switching images by providing two or more decoders and starting decoding processing in advance.

[0007] Also, (b) In the "digital broadcasting television receiver" of JP-A-09-135394, a non-display state generated at the time of channel switching is displayed by displaying still image data stored in a memory in advance. There has been disclosed a television receiver for digital broadcasting that reduces the user's psychological burden by minimizing the burden on the user.

[0008]

However, with respect to the channel call, there is a problem that a part of the image is damaged in the channel call by the on-screen display. If a display device dedicated to channel calls is provided in order to solve these problems, there is a problem that hardware is added and the cost is increased.

Regarding the time lag at the time of channel switching, the screen is switched immediately in the above method (a), so that the operation feeling is ideal, but it is necessary to have two or more decoders. There is a problem that not only the circuit becomes complicated but also the hardware cost increases.

In the above method (b), a system that does not need to display a distorted image can be easily realized, but an image reflecting a channel operation performed by a user cannot be displayed. However, there is a problem that the purpose of confirming the operation contents of the user cannot be satisfied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to display a channel call without complicating the circuit and increasing the cost. It is a second object of the present invention to easily realize a system capable of displaying an image reflecting a channel operation performed by a user, and to reduce a user's psychological burden during a channel operation. And

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A television receiver according to the present invention reduces an image relating to a received television broadcast signal, generates a frame for display, and combines the reduced image with the display frame. Then, a channel call is displayed in the display frame. Another feature of the present invention is that the display frame is generated according to a channel switching operation, and information including teletext information and time information is displayed in the display frame together with a channel call. It is characterized by. Other features of the present invention include a display frame generating means for generating a display frame for displaying various information including a channel call and time, and reducing an image to be displayed in the display frame. Scaling means, synthesizing means for synthesizing the image reduced by the scaling means, and the display frame generated by the display frame generating means, and selectively combining the data synthesized by the synthesizing means with the received image data. And data switching means for outputting to the display means. Further, another feature of the present invention is that an electronic mail receiving means is provided, and when a mail is received by the electronic mail receiving means, information indicating the fact is displayed in the display frame. I have. Another feature of the present invention is that a teletext receiver is provided and information received by the teletext receiver is displayed in the display frame.

According to the television broadcast receiving method of the present invention, an image related to a received television broadcast signal is reduced, a display frame is generated, and the reduced image is combined with the display frame to display the display image. The feature is that the channel call is displayed in the frame. Another feature of the present invention is that the display frame is generated according to a channel switching operation, and information including teletext information and time information is displayed together with a channel call. Another feature of the present invention is that a display frame generation process for generating a display frame for displaying various information including a channel call and time,
A scaling process for reducing an image to be displayed in the display frame; a combining process for combining the image reduced by the scaling process with the display frame generated by the display frame generating process; And a data switching process for selectively outputting the data synthesized by the above and the received image data to the display process. Another feature of the present invention is characterized in that it has an e-mail receiving process, and when mail is received by the e-mail receiving process, information indicating that is received is displayed in the display frame. I have. Another feature of the present invention is that it has a teletext receiving process, and displays information received by the teletext receiving apparatus in the display frame to notify the user.

A storage medium according to the present invention is characterized by recording a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described method.

[0015]

Since the present invention has the above technical means, the user can immediately confirm at least the operation contents such as a channel call after performing the channel operation by himself / herself. In addition, by reducing the image and displaying the channel call outside the image, it is possible to display an arbitrary image without damaging a part of the original image. Further, by displaying other information on the display frame, it is possible to reduce a user's psychological burden due to a time lag that occurs during a channel operation.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a television receiver, a television broadcast receiving method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) The present invention is constituted by a system having a block diagram as shown in FIG. 1, for example. In FIG. 1, 101 is a CPU, 102 is a tuner, 103 is a decoder, 104
Denotes a user input device, 105 denotes a display frame generation device, and 106 denotes a switching device.

When a channel switching operation signal is issued from a user input device 104 such as a remote controller, the tuner 10 is turned on.
2 starts channel selection of the channel specified by the user and notifies the display frame generating device 105 of the channel information specified by the user first.

The display frame generating device 105 generates a display frame based on the information. This display frame can be edited by user settings. Thus, in the digital broadcast television receiver of the present embodiment, a channel call can be displayed at an arbitrary position in the display frame. It is also possible to color display frames for each channel.

The display frame data generated by the display frame generation device 105 is sent to the switching device 106. Meanwhile, tuner 102
The received image data selected by is decoded by the decoder 103. Then, the decoded received image data is sent to the switching device 106.

In response to an instruction from the CPU 101, the switching device 106 combines decoded received image data with separately generated display frame data, or selects and outputs only received image data. The data selected as described above is sent to a display device (not shown) and displayed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the switching device 106. In FIG. 2, 201 indicates a distributor, 202 indicates a scaling device, 203 indicates a synthesizing device, and 204 indicates a switch.

The received image data A sent from the decoder 103 is distributed by the distributor 201 to the switch 204 and the scaling device 202. The scaling device 202 reduces an image at an equal rate according to a set value set in advance by a user. The reduction ratio at this time is automatically set in conjunction with the editing of the display frame by the user. Then, the reduced image data C is sent to the synthesizing device 203.

On the other hand, the display frame data B sent from the display frame generating device 105 is also input to the synthesizing device 203, and the reduced image data C and the display frame data B are synthesized. The composite data (B + C) thus generated and the received image data A
Are selectively switched by the switch 204 and output.
FIG. 3 shows an output example of the image data A at this time, and the image is displayed on the entire display screen.

FIG. 4 shows an output example of the composite data (B + C). The display frame 41 has the same size as that of FIG.
The image 42 obtained by reducing the image 30 in FIG. The display frame 41 in this figure
The number “6” in the upper center indicates a channel call. The display position of this channel call "6" can be set arbitrarily by the user.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the flow of operation at the time of channel switching of the system according to the present embodiment.
First, when a channel switching operation is performed by the user (step S51), a tuner is selected (step S5).
2) and display frame generation (step S52) are performed simultaneously. The display frame generation is performed instantaneously because the data is merely superimposed, and the display frame 41 is immediately displayed on the display device (step S53).

During a few seconds during which the tuner is selected and decoded (step S54), only this display frame is displayed, and the information superimposed on the display frame is provided to the user. When the decoding is completed, a composite screen (FIG. 4) of the decoded received image and the display frame is created and displayed on the display device (step S55).

This composite screen is switched to the normal display of FIG. 3 after being displayed for a fixed time set by the user at the time of editing the display frame (step S56). The composite screen display at this time can be instantaneously called at any time by a user operation.

(Second Embodiment) The digital broadcast television receiver of the present embodiment can be configured as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In FIG. 6, 601 is a CP.
U and 602 are tuners, 603 is a decoder, 604 is a user input device, 605 is a display frame generation device, and 606 is a switching device.

When a channel switching operation signal is issued from a user input device 604 such as a remote controller, the tuner 60 is activated.
2 starts the channel selection of the channel specified by the user and notifies the display frame generating device 605 of the channel information specified by the user first.

The display frame generation device 605 generates a display frame based on the information. This display frame can be edited by user settings. Thereby, a channel call can be displayed at an arbitrary position in the display frame. It is also possible to color display frames for each channel.

At this time, current time information is sent from the timer 607 to the display frame generation device 605. Display frame generator 6
05 creates a time display based on the current time information, and displays the current time at an arbitrary position of the user in the display frame.

At this time, the teletext receiver 609 receives the teletext and sends the information to the display frame generator 605. The display frame generation device 605 displays the contents of the teletext at an arbitrary position of the display frame by the user. As described above, the display frame data created by the display frame generation device 605 is sent to the switching device 606.

On the other hand, the received image data selected by the tuner 602 is decoded by the decoder 603. The decoded received image data is sent to the switching device 606. The switching device 606 combines the decoded received image data with the separately generated display frame data or selects and outputs the received image data in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 601. The output data is sent to a display device (not shown) and displayed.

Apart from the channel switching, the mail receiving device 608 receives an e-mail sent using a telephone line or the like (not shown) and displays the mail receiving information on the display frame generating device 60.
Inform 5

The display frame generation device 605 creates a display frame on which a mail arrival icon is displayed, and notifies the CPU 601 that a mail has arrived. The CPU 601 issues a display switching instruction to the switching device 606, and switches to the combined screen display of the received reduced image and the display frame.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a composite screen according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the current time is displayed at the upper left end of the display frame, the channel call is displayed at the upper center, and the teletext information is displayed at the lower end.

(Other Embodiments of the Present Invention) The present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.) and can be applied to an apparatus composed of one device. May be applied.

Further, the functions of the above-described embodiment are implemented in an apparatus connected to the above-described various devices or a computer in a system so that various devices are operated so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiment. Supplies the software program code for performing the
The invention implemented by operating the various devices according to the program stored in U) is also included in the scope of the present invention.

In this case, the program code itself of the software realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the program code itself and means for supplying the program code to a computer, for example, the program The storage medium storing the code constitutes the present invention. As a storage medium for storing such a program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the supplied program code, not only the functions described in the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the OS (operating system) in which the program code runs on the computer. Alternatively, it is needless to say that the program code is also included in the embodiment of the present invention when the functions described in the above-described embodiment are realized in cooperation with other application software or the like.

Further, after the supplied program code is stored in a memory provided in a function expansion board of a computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or the function expansion unit is specified based on an instruction of the program code. The present invention also includes a case where a CPU or the like provided in the apparatus performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the image was reduced and a frame for display was generated, and the reduced image and the display frame were combined to display a channel call in the display frame, the user performed a channel operation by himself / herself. In this case, it is possible to immediately confirm at least the operation content such as a channel call. In addition, since the image is reduced and the channel call is displayed outside the image, the appearance can be kept intact without adding large hardware. Also, according to another feature of the present invention,
When a user performs a channel operation, a display frame is generated, and information including teletext information and time information is displayed together with the channel call by the user. It can be significantly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a digital broadcast television receiver according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of a switching device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a display device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a display device when the present invention is used.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure showing an operation example of channel switching according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a digital broadcast television receiver according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a display device according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 CPU 102 Tuner 103 Decoder 104 User input device 105 Display frame generating device 106 Switching device 201 Divider 202 Scaling device 203 Synthesizing device 204 Switch 601 CPU 602 Tuner 603 Decoder 604 User input device 605 Display frame generating device 606 Switching device 607 Timer 608 Mail receiver 609 Teletext receiver

Claims (11)

[Claims] An image related to a received television broadcast signal is reduced, a frame for display is generated, the reduced image is combined with the display frame, and a channel call is displayed on the display frame. A television receiver, characterized in that: 2. The display frame according to claim 1, wherein said display frame is generated in response to a channel switching operation, and information including teletext information and time information is displayed in said display frame along with a channel call. The television receiver as described. 3. A display frame generating means for generating a display frame for displaying various information including a channel call and time, a scaling means for reducing an image to be displayed in the display frame, and Combining means for combining the reduced image and the display frame generated by the display frame generating means, and data switching for selectively outputting the data combined by the combining means and the received image data to the display means. And a television receiver. 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an e-mail receiving means, wherein when a mail is received by said e-mail receiving means, information indicating the fact is displayed in said display frame. The television receiver according to claim 1. 5. The television receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a teletext receiving unit, wherein information received by the teletext receiving device is displayed in the display frame. . 6. A method for reducing a received image related to a television broadcast signal and generating a frame for display, combining the reduced image with the display frame, and displaying a channel call in the display frame. A television broadcast receiving method, comprising: 7. The display frame is generated according to a channel switching operation, and text broadcast information,
7. The television broadcast receiving method according to claim 6, wherein information including time information is displayed. 8. A display frame generating process for generating a display frame for displaying various information including a channel call and time, a scaling process for reducing an image to be displayed in the display frame, and the scaling process. Processing for synthesizing the reduced image and the display frame generated in the display frame generation processing, and data switching for selectively outputting the data synthesized by the synthesis processing and the received image data to the display processing And a process for receiving a television broadcast. 9. An electronic mail receiving process, wherein when a mail is received by the electronic mail receiving process, information indicating the fact is displayed in the display frame. Or the television broadcast receiving method according to claim 1. 10. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a teletext receiving process, wherein information received by the teletext receiving device is displayed in the display frame to notify a user.
Television broadcast receiving method according to the paragraph. 11. A computer-readable storage medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 6 is recorded.